KLA: Human Society and Its Environment

Our Community: Bankstown



bankstown_map.jpg
The Bankstown Local Government Area



Outcome: CUS2.3 Explains how shared customs, practices, symbols, languages and traditions in communities contribute to Australian and community identities.

Indicators
:
· Identifies some significant customs, practices and traditions of their local community, beginning with Aboriginal people
· Gives some reasons why their local community is different to others and why it is of value and should be respected
· Identifies major community religions and places of religious significance in their communities, eg temple, church, synagogue, mosque
· Locates and identifies evidence of the languages used in their local community, beginning with the original Aboriginal languages, eg signage, place names, sign language


Resources:

Resource 1 (Georgea): Internet Video- Children's Festival Australia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTMdZs73L14&NR=1
used in lesson 1.
Resource 2(Kyleigh): A picture book - Bankstown City Council. (2003). The history of Bankstown: From settlement to city. Sydney: Author used in lesson 2 and in lesson 3.
Resource 3 (Emily):Internet Resource - Bankstown Community Atlas: About the City. http://atlas.id.com.au/About.aspx?id=101&pg=2100 used in lesson 4.
Resource 4 (Mark): DVD FitzSimons P. (2006). The Big Picture: Celebrating 175 Years: People Rush. Sydney: The Sydney Morning Herald used in lesson 5.


Rich Multimodal Task: Documentary Video Production


At the end of this unit, students would be divided into carefully teacher-selected small groups, of approximately four students each. Over a series of weeks, both in class and at home, students would be required to produce a five minute film documentary on the contribution of migrants to the identity of their local Australian community, the Bankstown Community.
Students would be expected to draw upon their learning throughout the unit to produce the documentary. That is, students would draw upon their learning in both the HSIE KLA, concerning the influence on shared customs, practices, symbols, languages and traditions on Australian and community identities, and their learning in the English KLA, concerning how grammar is used in (multimodal) texts to construct meaning.
The provision of well-designed prior scaffolding (as outlined in lesson 5) as well as ongoing teacher support throughout this task would be necessary to ensure students experienced success in constructing their documentaries. Students’ parents/ carers would also be informed of the task by the teacher, in order to enable parents/carers to assist their students in completing the task by for example, participating or asking others they know, to participate in interviews in the students’ documentaries.
Student groups would be formed on the basis of teacher knowledge of the particular strengths of individuals, so that each group contained students who have strengths in particular areas. For example, in one group it would be desirable to have students with strengths in video editing, interviewing, filming and knowledge of how visual grammar is used to construct meaning.
The finished product of students’ work would be shown to both the whole class, and could be shown to the wider school community as a part of a whole school/stage approach to the teaching of multiculturalism, and the contribution of a diverse range of migrants and social groups to an Australian community.